Under the Pastel Shell
by Phoenix-redwings56
Summary: After the tragic loss of his first wife, Aster's heart begins to harden and the sweet gentle side is soon forgotten about. Aster soon becomes as hard tempered and prideful as the dry outback itself in which he resides in. However Aster finds his entire turned upside down when he and his daughter travel the US for a vacation and meet Thiana, a children's dentist.


_**Under the Pastel Shell**_

_**A RotG Human SweetTooth AU**_

_**Chapter 1**_

A sharp gasp escaped his breath as he came conscious once more. Cold sweat coated the young man's body as he lied there under his covers. His chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to grasp for the air he needed in his lungs. His limbs quivered tensely next to him; fists clenched and all. Several minutes passed as the man tried to recover. He stared up at the ceiling with his green eyes locked on his fan, focusing intently on its motion in hopes it'd help calm him down.

It didn't do much for him, but it served as a decent enough focus point for him. As soon as the man finally felt calmer than before, he slowly sat up himself upward in his bed. He grunted softly to himself as he did so; still feeling the tensed muscles in in his shoulders and upper arms. As soon as he was seated in his usual up-right position he brought his rough, tan hands up to his face and began to wipe away his sweat. He then began to rub his eyes; trying to completely bring his mind back to reality.

Needless to say it wasn't easy for him. His body was still tense as a board, and the images from the dream still ran about in his mind. It was one dream he had been trying to shake for the past six years. For whatever reason the young man just couldn't seem to shake it. He might have a weeks or months in between the dream's hauntingly repetitive episodes. However no matter what the man did, it would always come back to terrorize his night sleeps.

"Get it together, Elias Aster." The man murmured in his thick Australian accent as he ran his hands through his hair.

Typically talking himself would help him relax on the odd nights where he couldn't snap himself out of his transfixed state. However it seemed as if this night in particular would be one of those where not even that would do the trick. Finally after sitting upward for several more moments in silence, knowing not even breathing exercises or meditation would help, Elias Aster rolled out of his bed and began to make his way to his bathroom. At first Elias Aster ( E. Aster or just Aster as some just referred to him as) stumbled about as he made his way towards it. Having feet that were still half-asleep and tense-as-boards leg muscles made it quite tedious of a task as this; especially in the dark of night.

Elias Aster slowly pushed his bathroom door open and switched on the main light only to quickly switch it right back off. He grunted irritably as he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and snapped his eyes shut. Saying that the tensed Australian male wasn't expecting the sheer brightness of his main bathroom light would be an understatement. Still pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose, Elias Aster reached over one more switch and flipped on the single light over his bathroom sink. Slowly he opened his eyes enough for his vision to adjust to the light, and then quietly walked up to his sink. He turned on the faucet and soon began to splash warm water onto his face. After washing his face off for a good minute or two, Elias Aster reached over to his towel rack and rubbed the remaining water droplets off his face. Elias Aster peaked from over the top of his towel and stared at himself in the mirror groggily. "Crikey, aren't you a pathetic sight to see." He uttered to himself into the towel.

After putting the towel back on its rack, Elias Aster reluctantly leaned up towards the bathroom mirror and snagged the small photo that was wedged in at the side between the mirror and it's frame. While looking down at the photo in his hand and exiting his bathroom, Elias Aster quietly made his way back to his bed. Photo still in hand, he lied back down on his pillow and pulled his covers over top of him. He ran his fingers slowly over top of the portrait and sighed as he stared longingly up at it. "I'm so sorry, April…" Was all he said as stared up at the picture; feeling his muscles become more and more relaxed.

Ellias Aster was possibly staring at the photo for perhaps another minute or so when down the hall came a blood-curdling cry. "DADDY DON"T GO INTO THE FIRE!" cried the figure from down the hall.

_Of all nights it had to happen to her too…_

Elias Aster let out a heavy sigh while lifting down the photograph and placing it onto his bedside table next to his bed. Knowing that he had to put up with this drill for the third time this month was quite tiresome, but he understood it in retrospect. His daughter was quite young when she lost her mother, so naturally he didn't mind having to go check on her frequently.

Elias Aster threw back the covers once more and made his way slowly down the hall towards his daughters bedroom. There, he quickly swung open the door and made haste towards her bed. His daughter was violently tossing and turning beneath the covers. Almost pain-sounding gasps escaped her throat as she thrashed about. Hot tears seeped down the side of the young girl's face, and obvious signs of discomfort showed by her expression and the multitude of sweat beads on her forehead. "Daddy…Daddy no!" She cried out.

Elias Aster reached to his daughter, and firmly shook her. "Serina – sweetheart- I'm right here," He said rather calmly, "Wake up."

Serina continued to squirm about for a few more minutes in her bed. Elias Aster continued to try and shake his little girl conscious from her dream. However, like most nights, it was taking an effort to do so. Finally after getting tired of trying to shake Serina conscious, Elias Aster reverted to his last resort. Elias tossed back the covers, scooped up Serina from her bed, carried her all the way back to his bathroom, sat her against the counter and splashed water quickly onto her face. Serina began to cough and sputter out the water she got in her mouth. Almost instantly Serina's bright blue eyes shot open. Serina took in a sharp breath as she did so, and soon began to catch her breath. "Daddy?" She gasped while look directly up at her father.

Elias Aster stood directly in front of his daughter as she sat there for a few more seconds while trying to catch her breath. Serina's bright blue eyes were locked on her father's face. A look of discomfort was plastered to her face. As soon as Elias Aster figured his daughter was calm enough, he gently wrapped his arms around her little body; hugging her tightly against his chest. "It's okay, Sweetheart," He said soothingly, "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Serina took in a deep breath as she rested her head against her father's chest. It was still taking her a few minutes to take in what was actually reality and what wasn't. When she recognized the difference, Serina's eyes welled up with tears and instantly she was furrowing her face into her dad's chest for further reinforcement. "I hate that stupid nightmare, daddy! I hate it!"

Elias Aster shushed his daughter soothingly by gently rubbing his hand down the back of her head repeatidly. "It's all over now, Serina. I'm still here okay?"

Serina sniffled as she clung tightly to her father, furrowing her face deep into his bare chest. Elias Aster sighed softly as he held her in his arms. He didn't like seeing his daughter so distraught constantly. It wasn't good for her up-coming and it wasn't good for her health either. In fact, it worried him something sick.

Elias placed a gentle kiss on the top of Serina's head before scooping her up off the counter and carrying her back to his bed. Serina had calmed down greatly by the time he did so; so when he placed her on the warm comfy sheets, Serina snuggled up and fell asleep almost instantly. Elias Aster chuckled as he climbed into bed next to her; pulling the covers over top of both of them. Elias reached over one last time and kissed his daughter on the forehead for reassurance. "Sweet dreams my little bunny girl." He said softly before drifting back off to sleep, this time more at peace.

* * *

"Daddy, I'm hungry…"

Elias Aster looked up from where he was sitting at the kitchen counter and reading the newspaper. He peaked his head over to the side only to see Serina standing groggily at the kitchen's threshold. Serina's hair was an absolute mess from the night prior when she had been having that night terror. Her cute wavy hair was all tangled and scruffy looking, and her precious floral night grown was all wrinkled from her constant tossing and turning in her bed. Elias Aster chuckled softly before standing up from the table and making his way over to Serina. He knelt down and scooped her up into his arms and effortlessly carried her over to her seat at the table. "What are you in the mood for exactly, sweetheart?" He said as he tried to do something with Serina's hair with his free hand.

Serina shrugged before wrapping her arms around Elias's neck. "I dunno," She muttered, "I just know I'm hungry."

Elias Aster let out a weak chuckle. He placed Serina into her chair, and knelt down next to her so that he was eye level with her. "How do pancakes sound to you?" He asked softly with a smile.

Serina's eyes lit up with delight as soon as her father popped the question. She nodded her head up and down enthusiastically. "That sounds fantastic, Daddy!" She declared happily.

Elias Aster rolled his head back and laughed. Sometimes even after the hellish nights like the one prior, a simple remark from his daughter would make his day seem all the more bearable. Elias Aster then tussled his daughter's already-tangled strawberry blonde head before walking over to the pantary and fridge and pulling out the necessary supplies needed.

After a few minutes of waiting, Serina soon had a steaming hot plate of her father's freshly made blueberry pancakes cut into the shape of little bunnies. Serina began grinning from ear to ear instantly. She clapped her hands together quickly before grabbing her fork and beginning to eat her breakfast. Elias Aster chuckled softly as he watched his daughter scarf down the pancakes. Elias Aster reached once more into fridge after putting all the supplies away for his breakfast; a strawberry-banana smoothie. He then sat down quietly down across from his daughter, and continued to watch Serina eat the rather delicious looking breakfast. After taking a couple sips from his smoothie, Elias placed his cup down and looked intently into Serina's big blue eyes. "Did you sleep better last night after I put you in my bed?"

Serina looked up from her plate and nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so." Was all she said in response.

Elias Aster sighed softly. Having to go through those almost-nightly routines was beginning to be too much for him. Needless to say, he didn't think his late wife would be to happy to see him and his daughter having night terrors like they were. Elias especially wasn't keen on his daughter experiencing them. She was far too young. Elias Aster wanted to be with her more, and to be able to help her get over losing her mom. However having to balance two jobs wasn't easy for him. The two somehow needed to get away from their issues for a while and spend some quality time together.

"Hey Serina," Elias Aster said soothingly as he reached across the table and tussled his daughter's hair. "How does taking a long daddy-daughter vacation sound to you?"


End file.
